Rhapsody in blue?

Back in August last year, veteran and prolific bloggers, Boak & Bailey (no relation), published a post titled, “Why are all the pubs going grey?” It was a valid question, and one which several other commentators had also noticed. Some, such as Pub Curmudgeon, Sheffield Hatter, and my good self, responded with our own thoughts and observations, but the question as to why so many pub owners (chains, or individuals), had chosen to splash what is surely the dullest of colours, all over the exteriors of their properties.

B&B thought that maybe pub owners were “trying to attract a newer, more aspirational crowd – or at least, not put them off,” claiming that grey is the equivalent of “classy neutralness,” whatever that means.  I don’t follow this argument though, particularly as I can remember (just), how drab, dreary and undeniably grimy, post-war Britain was in the first two decades following the end of the Second World War.

The pair did recognise this fact, with the claim that even between the wars, suburban pubs were designed to blend into the local surroundings, rather than making a statement with garish paintwork and intrusive advertising signs, but why this recent obsession with what has been described as a “plague of grey?”

Pub Curmudgeon described the situation best, with the comment. “I really don’t get the rationale behind painting somewhere that is supposed to be welcoming in cold colours,” and he also mentioned that the obsession with grey, often extended to pub interiors as well. Whilst I would agree with that observation I have, particularly over the course of pub visits during the past six months, noticed a rather different obsessional colour creeping into pub interiors, and one which, everywhere you look, seems to be rearing its ugly head.

The colour I am talking here is blue, but rather than a delicate pastel shade of pale sky blue, or subtle floral blue, I mean full-on, in your face, intense cobalt or ultramarine blue. Blue that is designed to make a statement and demand your attention, rather than a restful sea or forget-me-not blue, a vivid blue that is not easy of the eye, and the areas of the pub where these intense shades of blue seem to be splashed the most, are bar counters and bar fittings.

In his classic book, Beer & Skittles, pioneering beer writer Richard Boston, described the colours of a traditional public bar as a symphony in brown. He was referring to the wood from which the bar counters, floors, and often panelled wall coverings, are constructed, and with wood ranging in colour from pale pine to rich, dark mahogany, it is easy to understand where Boston was coming from. Now, with the exception perhaps of the floors, bright vivid blue seems to dominate, everywhere that one casts ones’ eyes.

I have listed, below, some of the “blue bars” I have visited since acquiring my bus pass last year – an asset that has enabled me to reconnect with many rural pubs that would, otherwise, be impossible to reach without getting behind the wheel of a car. There aren’t quite as many as I first thought, but given this is a relatively new trend, there is still plenty of time for this new “plague” to spread.

On final point, whilst blue, in the main, is a restful colour, it is also a cold colour, and like grey, not particularly welcoming. Also, unless the shade applied is a very pale shade of blue, it is nowhere near as unobtrusive as grey. So, unless this is just a passing fad, will blue become the “new grey," as far as pub interiors are concerned?

Poet - Matfield, Half Moon - Hildenborough,  Garland - Redhill, Ivy House - Tonbridge,  Vauxhall - Tonbridge, Anchor - Sevenoaks (more of a pastel blue).